2022 Model S Winter Tire Question

[Derick Lehmann]

Hi all. I'm getting mixed responses from Tesla vs a couple of tire shops. My question is not about specific tire or rim brands, but more so about the 'requirement' of a staggered wheel formation. Tesla has said 'although the rims you have will physically bolt up to the vehicle, your 2022 model S requires a staggered wheel formation 19x9.5 in the front and 19x10.5 in the rear. Deviating from the staggered formation could negativity effect traction control and vehicle stability systems, overall handling, and in some cases prevent Autopilot from working". Is this Tesla's attempt to sell me on their winter tire package, or is what they are saying factual?

Here are the specs of the winter tires / rims I have currently (used just last season on my 2015 Model S if that matters):
Rims - TESLA MODEL S 19X8.5-5X120 Tires - MICH X-ICE XI3 102H 245/45R19. I went with 4 of the same rims and tires all around on my 2015

Thanks for any input!

 

[DerbyDave]

My opinion is that Tesla is partially correct. They have spent a bunch of money calibrating and testing the car with the size tires and wheels sold on your car. This should optimize everything for your Tesla. Will different size wheels and tires work on your car? Sure, as long as they are the correct offset and don't rub. They could increase wear, reduce range, and put stress on other components. Some use wheel spacers to get the correct offset for wheels not really designed for the car. This is a compromise, and again would not be optimal.

 

[mswlogo]

I don’t think they care if you buy their package. Especially since they don’t have any. I’ve seen there tires back ordered at some places out to Feb.

Only staggered tire I found is Nokian R5 EV so far.

They may be correct on traction control. etc. Even model 3 had huge issues with some snows on square setup of losing regen.

 

[mswlogo]

Oh forgot to say X-Ice don’t meet load requirements.

Only available tire that meets spec and size for staggered is Nokian R5 EV. Which is a great tire. I might get those but I really want a performance snow tire. And those I can’t find. You can find the Front tires but not the rear.

 

[mswlogo]

I just ordered Pirelli P-Zero Winter Staggered from Italy on eBay. $1900 !!!

BTW they are available in Canada but not in the USA.

Tirerack said they won’t have them this year.

Tesla said go square.

Sorry but square doesn’t meet load range and issues discussed above. Not worth the risk to find out who’s right.

Nokian have poor wet braking. Well, roads are more likely wet than snow covered in New England. Nokian also slightly noisier. Pirelli are less efficient. I can deal with that.

So Pirelli is the best snow I can find for my needs.

 

[DBV1]

I just ordered Pirelli P-Zero Winter Staggered from Italy on eBay. $1900 !!!

BTW they are available in Canada but not in the USA.

Tirerack said they won’t have them this year.

Tesla said go square.

Sorry but square doesn’t meet load range and issues discussed above. Not worth the risk to find out who’s right.

Nokian have poor wet braking. Well, roads are more likely wet than snow covered in New England. Nokian also slightly noisier. Pirelli are less efficient. I can deal with that.

So Pirelli is the best snow I can find for my needs.

Not sure how you the the Nokians have poor wet braking when they were only released for this upcoming Winter. We have Nokians on our BMW X5 and they are also winter tires and have no issues with wet braking.

 

[leonwu]

I have 255-45-19 Michelin Xice snows square mounted on my refreshed S. Lasted last winter perfectly fine.

Had no clue about load issues, hopefully they don’t explode on me.

 

[mswlogo]

Not sure how you the the Nokians have poor wet braking when they were only released for this upcoming Winter. We have Nokians on our BMW X5 and they are also winter tires and have no issues with wet braking.

The All Season Nokians have better Wet Rating. Apples and oranges.

How do I know Nokian R5 EV have poor wet rating. Nokian told me. That is, they told Europeans.

I always check Euro Tyre labels when buying tires. Something I wish they did in the USA.

All tires are trade offs. Is the Nokian R5 EV a bad tire? Absolutely not. I almost considered them. Would have been way cheaper.

The Pirelli is rated B on wet. And they won’t do as well on snow and ice. But that’s the trade off I’m going with.

I had Pirelli Performance Snows on my Model X and they were incredible. I always bought Nokian or X-Ice before I got the Pirelli’s. Never going back to traditional snows again (unless I have no choice).

See Euro label below.

 

[mswlogo]

The All Season Nokians have better Wet Rating. Apples and oranges.

How do I know Nokian R5 EV have poor wet rating. Nokian told me. That is, they told Europeans.

I always check Euro Tyre labels when buying tires. Something I wish they did in the USA.

All tires are trade offs. Is the Nokian R5 EV a bad tire? Absolutely not. I almost considered them. Would have been way cheaper.

The Pirelli is rated B on wet. And they won’t do as well on snow and ice. But that’s the trade off I’m going with.

I had Pirelli Performance Snows on my Model X and they were incredible. I always bought Nokian or X-Ice before I got the Pirelli’s. Never going back to traditional snows again (unless I have no choice).

See Euro label below.

FYI here is the label for Pirelli P-Zero Winter
Note this it the “Elect” version. Not sure if that changes much. Elect might just mean foam lined. But also note that in general. All performance snows are generally good in wet. And generally most stud-less snows like X-Ice and Nokian R5 have poor wet performance. Just a trade off you get.

 

[HP Man]

Hi all. I'm getting mixed responses from Tesla vs a couple of tire shops. My question is not about specific tire or rim brands, but more so about the 'requirement' of a staggered wheel formation. Tesla has said 'although the rims you have will physically bolt up to the vehicle, your 2022 model S requires a staggered wheel formation 19x9.5 in the front and 19x10.5 in the rear. Deviating from the staggered formation could negativity effect traction control and vehicle stability systems, overall handling, and in some cases prevent Autopilot from working". Is this Tesla's attempt to sell me on their winter tire package, or is what they are saying factual?

Here are the specs of the winter tires / rims I have currently (used just last season on my 2015 Model S if that matters):
Rims - TESLA MODEL S 19X8.5-5X120 Tires - MICH X-ICE XI3 102H 245/45R19. I went with 4 of the same rims and tires all around on my 2015

Thanks for any input!

There is no need to run a staggered setup. For my winter setup, I'm running Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3s in a 275/35R20 square configuration on my 2021 refresh and they work great. The only critical factors for size are strut/fender clearance (function of ensuring you have a wheel with acceptable width/offset for your car), circumference of tires and load rating.

 

[Krishi]

I just ordered Pirelli P-Zero Winter Staggered from Italy on eBay. $1900 !!!

BTW they are available in Canada but not in the USA.

Tirerack said they won’t have them this year.

Tesla said go square.

Sorry but square doesn’t meet load range and issues discussed above. Not worth the risk to find out who’s right.

Nokian have poor wet braking. Well, roads are more likely wet than snow covered in New England. Nokian also slightly noisier. Pirelli are less efficient. I can deal with that.

So Pirelli is the best snow I can find for my needs.

Do you have the link? I'm having a hard time finding them (or was it just 1 pair available?) PS. im in Canada & not sure where you found them avalible in Canada lmk thx!

 

[mswlogo]

Do you have the link? I'm having a hard time finding them (or was it just 1 pair available?) PS. im in Canada & not sure where you found them avalible in Canada lmk thx!

I forget, I called a bunch of online tire places. One said he had them only for delivery in Canada but not in USA.

 

[RyanAndrews]

Hey guys, There are a couple of OEM 19" Summer Tire sets for sale around me. My thought is to purchase the OEM 19 a set and buy a set of winter tires. The issue is there does not seem to be winter tires in stock based on Tesla's recommended tire size. I wanted to verify before I purchased a new aftermarket squared set. Has anyone had luck with alternative tire size options that work with OEM 19" staggered?
Thanks

 

[EightYears]

Hey guys, There are a couple of OEM 19" Summer Tire sets for sale around me. My thought is to purchase the OEM 19 a set and buy a set of winter tires. The issue is there does not seem to be winter tires in stock based on Tesla's recommended tire size. I wanted to verify before I purchased a new aftermarket squared set. Has anyone had luck with alternative tire size options that work with OEM 19" staggered?
Thanks

Did you try Discount tire? When I went a few weeks ago they were able to get in the Pirelli tires and the Vredestein wintrac pros. I'd just go in and talk to them.

 

[RyanAndrews]

I called Discount, but the options seem limited. Maybe I did not get the right guys or needed to go in.
I contacted Blu Mobile Tire, and they have been super helpful. They say if I go to 275 in the rear, there are some options like the Vredestein. I am debating between buying a used 19" OEM set or going with a squared setup and Martian wheels. The staggered OEM seems to limit options.

 

[EightYears]

I called Discount, but the options seem limited. Maybe I did not get the right guys or needed to go in.
I contacted Blu Mobile Tire, and they have been super helpful. They say if I go to 275 in the rear, there are some options like the Vredestein. I am debating between buying a used 19" OEM set or going with a squared setup and Martian wheels. The staggered OEM seems to limit options.

Correct options are extremely limited for this car. It sucks.

This is what I am doing through Discount. If all goes well, they will be mounted tomorrow.

Going to run a staggered setup (I know it's not advisable with winter tires and narrow tires are better) but this car will rarely see snow and when it does it will be very light. Mountain trips and deep snow will be handled by the snow tire equipped X3MC. I Mainly just need to not have summer tires for our around town driving when temps are below 40*.

Wheels will be Performance Replica PR208 Gloss Black. 20x9 +30 up front and 20x10 +35 in the rear. Really hoping the fitment is good. Trusting discount here.

Tires will be Vredestein Wintrac Pros. 255/40/20 up front and 275/35/20 in the rear. I had an option to go Xice but couldn't just the $150 per tire premium. Especially when this car just eats tires.

Part of the reason for me going this route is if I like them enough, I may end up running this wheel set year around and retiring or selling the 21"s. Or just getting something entirely different for summer. I hate having zero options in the 21" size but I do love the look of the Arachnid. This wheel is pretty similar. I hope I like it!

All in all the price was fair and comparable to the Tesla winter set as far as price goes... performance and OEM fit are sacrificed a bit but these should be fine for my use.

I will post up some pics once they are mounted.

 

[spartan0516]

I just got a set of four 19X8.5 RIAL LUGANO OE CAP GRAPHITE SILVER wheels with four 255/45R-19 VREDESTEIN WINTRAC PRO XL from Tire Rack for my '22 MSLR. Full disclosure: I haven't mounted them up or driven on them yet, but I was very surprised at how good they look and they arrived at my house next day ready to mount up! They even came with factory Tesla center caps.

 

[RyanAndrews]

The Lugano is one of the options Blue Mobile offered, and that is the same tire size they are recommending.

I was messing with the tire size comparison tool hoping they don't look too narrow on the car. The size looks like they fill up the wheel well.

 

[spartan0516]

The Lugano is one of the options Blue Mobile offered, and that is the same tire size they are recommending.

I was messing with the tire size comparison tool hoping they don't look too narrow on the car. The size looks like they fill up the wheel well.

I'll take pictures once I get them mounted, but won't be for another week or so as it's till in the 60s here during the day. Offset on them is supposed to be +32 which means that (compared to factory 21" wheels) the front should stick out about 3mm further and the rear should be retracted by about 7mm (about 1/4in). So hopefully they'll look pretty close to OEM and good enough for winter.

 

[meomyo]

Correct options are extremely limited for this car. It sucks.

This is what I am doing through Discount. If all goes well, they will be mounted tomorrow.

Going to run a staggered setup (I know it's not advisable with winter tires and narrow tires are better) but this car will rarely see snow and when it does it will be very light. Mountain trips and deep snow will be handled by the snow tire equipped X3MC. I Mainly just need to not have summer tires for our around town driving when temps are below 40*.

Wheels will be Performance Replica PR208 Gloss Black. 20x9 +30 up front and 20x10 +35 in the rear. Really hoping the fitment is good. Trusting discount here.

Tires will be Vredestein Wintrac Pros. 255/40/20 up front and 275/35/20 in the rear. I had an option to go Xice but couldn't just the $150 per tire premium. Especially when this car just eats tires.

Part of the reason for me going this route is if I like them enough, I may end up running this wheel set year around and retiring or selling the 21"s. Or just getting something entirely different for summer. I hate having zero options in the 21" size but I do love the look of the Arachnid. This wheel is pretty similar. I hope I like it!

All in all the price was fair and comparable to the Tesla winter set as far as price goes... performance and OEM fit are sacrificed a bit but these should be fine for my use.

I will post up some pics once they are mounted.

cross climate 2..